Blue Moon
by Megaluhoo
Summary: Near the top of every girl's list of ‘What Not To Do’ is taking walks, alone, at night. The way it is pounded into everyone’s head, you’d think that if you even opened the door past ten you’d drop dead.
1. Taking Walks at Night is Suicide

Blue Moon

Chapter One - Taking Walks at Night is Suicide

Near the top of every girl's list of 'What Not To Do' is taking walks, alone, at night. The way it is pounded into everyone's head, you'd think that if you even opened the door past ten you'd drop dead. Therefore, I abided by the unwritten rule and avoided it as much as I could. Occasionally, I'd walk home from my friend's house alone at midnight, but I only lived four houses down the street. Once I had this unbelievable urge to go jogging at four in the morning; luckily, I fell down the stairs and broke my ankle before I even left the house.

So I was surprised to see myself, wrapped up in my cloak with a scarf pulled tight, walking around the lake. It was November and about twenty degrees out; I was cold. No - cold was an understatement. I was a human Popsicle. Yet, that didn't stop my foolish wanderings. Almost as if I was in a trance, I found myself wandering to a nearby tree and sitting down against it. It seemed as if every fiber of instinct I had inside was telling me to flee to the safety of the castle. The smallest, stupidest brain cell in me told me to stay. So I did; I wasn't planning on throwing off my internal balance by leaving.

I felt like everything was a dream, like I was still snuggled in my bed, not in my cloak besides a tree. I pulled my knees into my chest and hugged them as the wind threw my hair about wildly. It seemed as if I was a prisoner to the wild, when in reality I could go back inside at any moment. I figured that I was half-asleep and my dreams were mixing with reality. Fog was entering my vision, begging me to give in, to go away, and I obliged sinking into the darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

I awoke to a howl. It was still nighttime, but the sky was lightened by the huge, bluish full moon. I remembered that we had already had a full moon this month, so it had to be an unpredicted blue moon. I knew that they were rare and suddenly longed for a camera to photograph the amazing event. I wondered if others were watching it from the warmth of the indoors.

That was when I finally realized how cold I was. I looked down at my mitten-less fingers, which were tinted a pale blue. The feeling that came over me earlier telling me to stay out suddenly felt foolish. It was probably just my mind trying to find adventure. I sighed, standing up unsteadily. My muscles were stiff and protested against my actions as I stumbled in the direction of Hogwarts. I spent most of the walk running my hands up and down my arms, in attempt of finding warmth.

I heard another howl - and this time, it was much closer than the first. I looked around timidly. I figured I was going to freak myself out about it. The chances of being attacked by a wolf were (probably) terribly small. Nevertheless, I quickened my pace, even though I couldn't push my frozen legs much over a normal walking speed.

There was a rustle in the bushes next to me. I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at the spot the noise seemed to be coming from. Before I had a chance to do anything at all, some... _thing_ darted out of the bushes. I screamed, ducking my head and covering my face with my hands.

The impact I had expected never came, and I silently cursed as I noticed a little bunny stood several feet away, between the bushes and me. I felt like a complete idiot. I always got myself so worked up over the simplest things, and this time I screamed because of a rabbit.

I was so busy thinking about the cute bunny and wondering why it was up so late that I didn't notice the large, snarling wolf behind me - until it jumped on me, that is. I screamed from the pain and surprise as we tumbled to the ground. My arms flailed as I attempted to defend myself and make it go away. It clawed my back as I screamed out in agony. I rolled over, which unsteadied the wolf as well as angered it.

I clambered up, only to be stopped as it took a bite of my leg. I collapsed in pain attempting to just make the stupid thing let me go. My tears were fogging my vision, so most of my hits missed their targets. Finally, my leg was released and I resorted my balance as it continued to claw at me. I really thought I was doing okay for being mauled by a wolf. As it chomped at my arm, a white-hot pain shot up it and the world seemed to turn black.

Thank Merlin the darkness didn't hurt.


	2. I never broke a mirror

Blue Moon

Chapter Two – I never broke a mirror (so why the bad luck)

When the blackness finally disappeared, there was dull pain everywhere. I felt as if a sumo wrestler was on top of me and was slowly crushing me. I began to gasp for air like I had never had air in my lungs before. I could feel people staring at me, so slowly I opened my eyes.

The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in my dorm, I was in the hospital wing. I looked at Lily, who was besides my bed, for a second before the memory of last night came into my head. I began to cry. I usually didn't cry, not even when I fell off my broom breaking twelve bones. Lily, who I've known forever, knew this and instantly began to calm me, knowing I must have been terrified.

"Shush, Lissy. Everything's going to be alright," she comforted. I suddenly felt like a child, and Lily seemed to be acting the part of a mother. I felt pathetic, which only made the tears turn into sobs. Lily managed to calm me down and stop the tears, although I was still hiccupping.

"I was so stupid," I confessed.

"No, you simply made a mistake," Lily corrected.

"A stupid mistake," I muttered under my breath. Lily shook her head as Madam Pomfrey, the new healer, walked into the room.

"Is Lissy going to be okay?" Lily asked. Madam Pomfrey glanced at her clipboard before answering.

"Miss Wood will be sore and have some scars, but she'll be okay for the most part. Now I need to speak to her alone. If you could excuse us for a moment Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey explained.

Lily nodded and tossed me a smile before exiting the room. As soon as the oak doors closed, Pomfrey began to talk.

"You weren't attacked by a normal wolf last night."

"What was I attacked by then?" I asked, confused.

"Miss Wood, you were attacked and bitten by a werewolf," she stated bluntly. Suddenly, more tears filled my glassy eyes. I wished I didn't know what that meant. I wished I had to ask what the difference between a wolf and a werewolf was. But I knew, I knew that every full moon for the rest of my life I'd become some sort of monster, on the outside and inside. I had no recollection of doing a horrible deed; I'd never shattered a mirror. So why did my luck suck so much?

"What will I do on the full moon?" I asked, suddenly tired.

"You will be going to a location where you won't hurt anyone," Madam Pomfrey answered. I nodded, thinking about it over and over, wondering if it hurt, or if you remembered anything from during the transformation.

"When will I be able to leave the hospital wing?" I wondered aloud.

"You'll be free to go tonight," she stated. She waved her wand over me, and then began to rub a stinging cream over my many bruises and cuts. She rewrapped the bites with gauze after placing creams there, too. After a few more sympathetic words, she left me with my thoughts as my only company.

The hospital wing isn't the most exciting place in the world. Everything there is white, so white it's blinding. It was nearly empty today, besides the few who simply had headaches or were trying to cut class. Most of them were fixed up and sent away quickly, leaving me with nobody to talk to. Soon, I fell asleep.

When I awoke again, it was around dusk. Lily wasn't there; she was probably at dinner, but she had dropped off a change of clothes and my homework. I hadn't thought much about school. The shock of becoming a werewolf was more important.

I really didn't know what to do about the subject. Do I tell Lily? If I did, would she hate me for the rest of my life and never talk to me again? I had no clue how she'd be with things like this. Was she anti-werewolf and wanted them killed? I doubted it, though. She was just too nice to wish people dead just because what they were once a month. I suppose I'll just have to chance it. If worst came to worst, I could charm her memory away.

"You're set to go now," Madam Pomfrey announced. I nodded, pulling the curtains around my bed shut and changing into the jeans and T-shirt Lily had brought. Once done, I scooped up the pile of homework and left with directions to come back tomorrow during lunch to get the bandages changed.

I set off on my mission - my mission to tell Lily I was a werewolf.


End file.
